Settlers’ Ghost GC Uses Goats to Maintain Course

The Barrie, Ontario club purchased two young goats to munch on weeds that crowd the cart path in an effort to cut back on pesticide and herbicide use.

Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, hired a pair of six-month-old goats to maintain portions of the course and reduce pesticide and herbicide use, QMI Agency reported.

“We’re fortunate enough to be surrounded by wildlife, which we take very seriously, and I am always researching ways that we can become more environmentally friendly. Through looking for solutions, I found a number of countries which have been using goats,” Course Superintendent Chris Gulliver said.

The two goats, named Whipper and Snipper, munch through weeds that crowd the cart path, QMI Agency reported.

“They eat the flowers off of the weeds first,” said Gulliver. “And then they start working on the rest of the plant.

“If you look back old school in Scotland where golf originated, it was goats and sheep that kept most of those golf courses trimmed and weed-free.”

After conducting a bit of research, Gulliver determined that the cost of the two goats is equivalent to one carton of herbicide, so it made sense from a monetary standpoint, QMI Agency reported.

“The thing is that, once the weed killer is gone, it’s gone,” Gulliver said. “The goats are going to be here for years.”

Tags: Barrie Ontario Canada Chris Gulliver QMI Agency Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club Snipper Whipper